The Saints rested alot of their key players on Sunday, and the Panthers beat up on the guys that played.  Jake Delhomme played a great game as he completed 23 of 27 passes for 207 yards and 2 TDs.  DeShaun Foster had a decent game with 19 carries for 79 yards (4.2 ypc) and a TD.  He also caught 3 passes for 12 yards.  DeAngelo Williams had a rough game running the ball as he toted the rock nine times for only 7 yards (0.8 ypc).  He did a good job catching the ball out of the backfield with 6 catches for 52 yards.  Steve Smith had a great game with 7 catches for 85 yards and 2 TDs.  He also ran the ball once for 21 yards.

LB Chris Draft had a great game with 13 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.  Chris Gamble also had a good game with 8 tackles and an interception that he returned 18 yards for a TD.  The Panthers played well against the run as the Saints carried the ball 17 times for 61 yards (3.6 ypc).  The Saints completed 20 of 29 passes for 236 net yards passing.

The Panthers won their first game in five weeks last week against the Falcons.  The Saints have won four of their last five games including a 30-7 beating of the Giants that sealed a firt round bye for the Saints.

The Panthers will start Jake Delhomme if the Redskins beat the Giants on Saturday Night.  If the Panthers are eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday Night the Panthers will likely start Chris Weinke against the Saints.  No matter which QB starts it’s very likely that the Panthers will prefer to run the football against the porous run defense of the Saints that has allowed 130.5 yards rushing and 5.1 yards per carry.  Both DeShaun Foster (818 yards rushing) and DeAngelo Williams (494 yards rushing) should both have good games against the Saints.  If Delhomme starts, look for the offense to be a tad more wide-open as Jake is a much better passer than Weinke is…even with a bad thumb.  Steve Smith (76 rec, 1,081 yards) could have a huge game if Delhomme plays.

The Saints will probably roll out a basic gameplan as this game really doesn’t mean much for them.  Deuce McAllister (1,057 yards rushing) and Reggie Bush (545 yards rushing) should split the carries against a Panthers defense that is allowing 111.7 yards rushing per game and 3.9 yards per carry.  Drew Brees (4,372 yards passing) will start this game and work on a few things before probably being replaced by Jamie Martin sometime in the second half.  Look for the Saints to get the ball to Reggie Bush (86 rec, 729 yards) and Marques Colston (70 rec, 1,038 yards) early in the game…and then to Devery Henderson and Terrance Copper late in the game.

This should be an interesting football game.  The Panthers won the first meeting 21-18 in Carolina.  I think this game could have a similar result with either team winning the game.

 

The Carolina Panthers can clinch a playoff berth with:  1) a win and NY Giants and Green Bay both lose or tie  2) a tie, NY Giants and Green Bay both lose and St. Louis and Atlanta both lose or tie.

The Panthers can salvage a disappointing season with some luck next Sunday.  Many had picked the Panthers to make it to the Super Bowl, but it would take a miracle to get them there now.

The Panthers got sick of watching Chris Weinke throwing the ball to the opposing team, so they decided to run the ball almost every play on offense and it worked out well.  Chris Weinke only attempted 7 passes and completed 4 of them for 32 yards and a TD.  DeShaun Foster carried the ball 28 times for 102 yards (3.6 ypc) and DeAngelo Williams carried the ball 21 times for 82 yards (3.9 ypc).  Rookie TE Jeff King only caught 1 pass and it was a 1-yard TD reception.

The defense played great for the Panthers.  The Panthers held the vaunted running game of the Falcons to 83 yards on 19 carries (4.4 ypc).  The Falcons had a hard time throwing the ball as they completed 9 of 20 passes for 109 net yards passing and the Panthers picked-off 2 passes.

The Panthers improved to 7-8 on the season with this win.

The Panthers have lost 4 games in a row including a 37-3 meltdown last week to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Falcons lost 38-28 to the Cowboys last week, but have won 2 of their last 3 games.

The Panthers would be smart to run the football with DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams against the Falcons who have allowed 102.2 yards rushing per game this season and 3.8 yards per carry.  The Falcons pass defense allows 236.2 net yards passing per game, but Chris Weinke has had big-time trouble with interceptions.  Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson could have good games if Weinke plays better than he has, but their are no guarantees that he will.

The Falcons will go with the recipe that helped them dominate the first meeting between these two teams and that’s to run the football alot.  Warrick Dunn (1,053 yards rushing) & Michael Vick (990 yards rushing) look to join Kevin Mack & Ernest Byner and Larry Csonka & Jim Kiick as the only pairs of players to each rush for over 1,000 yards during a season for the same team.  That will happen sometime probably in the first quarter.  If the Panthers stack the box, and they probably will, look for Vick to throw the ball to Alge Crumpler or deeper to Ashley Lelie, Roddy White or Michael Jenkins.

The Falcons won the first meeting between these teams 20-6 in Carolina.  The dropoff from Jake Delhomme to Chris Weinke almost guarantees an easy with for the Falcons.